The Music Issue by The Harvard Independent

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03.26.15 VOL. XLVI, NO. 17 CONTENTS

The Indy is musically inclined.

Cover design by Anna Papp, collage from Wikimedia.

NEWS 3 An Open Forum ARTS 4 #SXSW 5 #SXSW 6 All Rapped Up 7 The Right Pitch 8 The Right Pitch 9 Going Swimmingly SPORTS 10 Beware the Ides of March 11 Icing on the Cake

As Harvard College's weekly undergraduate newsmagazine, the Harvard Independent provides in-depth, critical coverage of issues and events of interest to the Harvard College community. The Independent has no political affiliation, instead offering diverse commentary on news, arts, sports, and student life. For publication information and general inquiries, contact President Albert Murzakhanov (president@harvardindependent.com). Letters to the Editor and comments regarding the content of the publication should be addressed to Editor-in-Chief Shaquilla Harrigan (editorinchief@harvardindependent.com). For email subscriptions please email president@harvardindependent.com. The Harvard Independent is published weekly during the academic year, except during vacations, by The Harvard Independent, Inc., Student Organization Center at Hilles, Box 201, 59 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138. Copyright ÂŠ 2015 by The Harvard Independent. All rights reserved.

President Vice Presdient Editor-in-Chief Director of Production News Editor Forum Editor Arts Editor Sports Editor Design Editor Associate Forum Editor Associate Arts Editor Illustrator Designers

Staff Writers

Albert Murzakhanov '16 Farhana Nabi '16 Shaquilla Harrigan '16 Sean Frazzette '16 Aditya Agrawal '17 Ritchey Howe '17 Michael Luo '16 Caroline Cronin '18 Anna Papp '16 Caroline Gentile '17 Andrew Lin '17 Yaara Yacoby '17 Alice Linder '17 Abigail Parker '17 Whitney Gao '16 Manik Bhatia '16 Terilyn Chen '16 Yuqi Hou '15 Chloe Li '16 Dominique Luongo '17 Orlea Miller '16 Carlos Schmidt '15 Frank Tamberino '16 Jackie Leong '16 Madi Taylor '16 Shreya Vardhan '17 Peyton Fine '17 Eloise Lynton '17 Hannah Kates '18 Chris Riley '17 Andrew Adler '17

‘This is Our Place’ indy The UC hosts an open forum with President Faust and Dean Khurana. News

By SHAQUILLA HARRIGAN

n an effort to minimize the gap between Harvard administrators and the students they serve, the UC sponsored an Open Forum this past Tuesday that allowed undergraduates to ask University President Drew Faust and Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana questions on various issues across the University from funding for public service opportunities to what actions the University is taking towards becoming a more inclusive community. This event comes as part of the UC’s initiative to be more transparent and give students more voices in the decision-making process. Before the actual event started, an interesting scene was set in Emerson 105. As students and Harvard administrators filed into the room, four of Harvard’s leaders stood together catching up on spring breaks before opening the stage for questions. Ava Nasrollahzadeh ‘16 and Dhruv Goyal ‘16, UC president and vice president, respectively, stood across from President Faust and Dean Khurana lamenting over returning to frigid Cambridge and traveling to China. President Faust and Dean Khurana made brief opening remarks after Nasrollahzadeh set community standards in the room , which encouraged questions that “were aimed at bettering the University.” One of the first questions of the night came from Tim Shea ‘18, a Harvard Dem and member of the Student Labor Action Movement, who wanted to know about compensating essential workers for their extra hours this past winter. “They were heroic in their response. Thank you for raising this question and caring about [this issue],” said President Faust. President Faust went on to say that the University is working with various supervisors to make sure works are compensated for any snow-forced vacation time and overtime hours for essential workers. Nina Wagner ‘18, also a member of the Student Labor Action Movement, asked a related question on workers’ access to resources currently available only to The Harvard Independent • 03.26.15

students and faculty members. “We have a lot of resources for students, but what about other members of our community.” Faust again agreed that workers also needed, “methods of appeal for unjust treatment.” However, she said that these “methods” depend on a number of factors like unions and where the staff person was. One of the biggest concerns raised over the course of the forum was funding for more public service opportunities at Harvard. Several students asked President Faust and Dean Khurana about adjusting the summer earnings requirement that is a part of many financial aid packages to allow more students to pursue summer public service opportunities. Students also pushed President Faust and Dean Khurana on how the University can nurture a greater culture of service on campus. President Faust and Dean Khurana hinted that “something new is about to unfold” and that public service is a huge “[capital] campaign priority.” Dean Khurana said that Harvard’s job is to produce “citizen-leaders” and “we should make sure service is something that is a part of our education.” William Greenlaw ‘17, a UC representative, pressed President Faust and Dean Khurana on “what exactly does a Harvard engaged in service look like?” Dean Khurana said, “It’s a conversation between the faculty and students.” He went on to talk about service as a learning tool that aligns with Harvard’s mission and that committees within the Phillips Brooks House, Harvard’s department for public service, are working on these initiatives. The forum also fostered a lot of student energy around inclusivity and making Harvard ‘s community stronger. Regarding that some of Harvard’s diversity spaces are in basements (e.g. the Women’s Center is in the basement of Canaday B), Faust admits, “Harvard was slow to create these spaces.” She talked about her vision for the remodeled Smith Center

to be a place mainly for undergraduates. Dean Khurana adds that he hopes the House Renewal will “re-center social life into the Houses” and that students will “feel a sense of ownership and belonging.” Sophomores Brad Riew and Kun Ho Kim reminded President Faust, Dean Khurana, and other administrators that inclusivity and community at Harvard isn’t just about social spaces, but that these solutions are also physically accessible to all students. Kim shared a story of how Emerson has only one wheelchair accessible bathroom that must be opened with a staff person’s key. Kim said he had to wait “30 minutes” before the bathroom could be opened. Additionally, Riew and Kim talked about the majority of Harvard’s buildings are inaccessible to students with accessibility needs. Immediately after voicing their concerns, Faust said, “Let me follow up with you. Meet me in my office sometime to share your concerns.” Dean Khurana was visibly touched by the story and apologized on behalf of the University for not being physically welcoming to all students. “This is our place,” he said. After hearing from several more students, Faust said she is “coming away with a to do list of things to work on.” Dean Khurana left students with “One thing I would say is that our community is not just who has a title—it is everyone. We must all uphold our community standards.” The forum closed and was forever immortalized with a selfie of President Faust, Dean Khurana, and the studentattendees. Shaquilla Harrigan ‘16 (sharrigan01@college. harvard.edu) is proud that her peers are holding our administrators accountable. Editor’s Note: An extended version of this article can be found at www.harvardindependent.com.

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#ICYMI #SXSW How to do South by Southwest Right. By RITCHEY HOWE and ELOISE LYNTON

very year in March, Austin, Texas is home to South by Southwest (SXSW), one of the largest growing music, film, and interactive festivals in the United States. Austin has always had an eclectic music and independent film scene, but the city’s isolated spot in the middle of Texas made it difficult for artists to get recognition on a national level. The festival began as a way for artists to reach the rest of the world and bring people to the great city of Austin. The first time the festival was held, in 1987, there were 700 conference participants. Today, at the 2015 festival, that number has grown to over 27,000. For us lucky Harvard students, the music days of the festival almost precisely overlap with our weeklong spring break. So, along with a couple of friends, we decided to make our way down to Austin to experience SXSW. For those of you considering making the trip next year, here are few tips to ensure you are SXSW savvy.

1. Don’t Buy Passes and Don’t Be Shy

We decided to take the cheap route and not invest in guest passes for the festival at all. Badges for the music part of the festival start at $650 and go up to $895 – money which we thought was probably better put towards late nights at Tasty Burger and our college tuitions. As a result, we arrived in Austin with no passes, full faith in Uber, and no idea where anything was. All of this was quickly remedied by the second piece of advice we will give you: don’t be shy. People in Texas are nice, and if you ask for help, you’re pretty much guaranteed to get it. Our group made friends with everyone from hotel concierges, to bartenders, to record label owners; we got free rides, free food, free drinks, and most important of all: free access to the best new music. However, there are some cons to this method. You don’t really get to pick what you eat, drink, or listen to. But, the 4 harvardindependent.com

pros far outweigh those setbacks; you get to make friends and save a ton of money in the process.

2. Eat…a lot.

Austin has amazing food, and everyone at SXSW knows it. There are lines that go for hours outside of the famous Franklin Barbecue, HopDaddy burger, and when we tried to go to Joe’s Bakery to get some good Mexican pastries, we were forced to give up due to our inability to stand while hungry. We did, however, manage to get in some fantastic eats. Next time you’re in Austin, we highly recommend La Condesa for some classy Mexican grub. Or, if you’re more in the mood for a casual diner setting and a boozy brunch, we suggest Magnolia Café (the line here is long too, but it’s worth it). On Sunday’s, the brunch spot is Moonshine Patio and Grill. A twenty-dollar all you can eat buffet? Can’t say no. Additionally, this is also the only spot where we have been asked if we want bacon in our Bloody Mary drinks. 03.26.15 • The Harvard Independent

#ICYMI #SXSW - continued How to do South by Southwest Right. By RITCHEY HOWE and ELOISE LYNTON 3. Drink…a lot more.

Austin has amazing home-brewed beer, and those of you who are old enough to try it should take advantage. We spent one night listening to music at ABGB, a beer garden and pizzeria that brews its own beer in-house and were quite impressed. Great Mexican food in Austin comes alongside great margaritas. If you’re feeling adventurous, you can try an avocado margarita at Curra’s Grill. There are also a fair share of pubs and bars open along 6th street, the main drag for music. It’s fun to explore and grab some cocktails while you discover new bands. Many beverage companies, such as Red Bull, Monster, and Lipton are handing out goodies in various bars so make sure to keep an eye out!

as exhausted as we’ve ever been, wearing Longhorns hats, and carrying that little bit of Texas left in our souls (and our stomachs). For those who aren’t as enticed by live music, know that there are many tech conferences and film screenings throughout the week of SXSW. So, next time you’re thinking of buying that ticket to Cabo, think twice and make your way down to Austin where the beer is better, the food is cheesier, and the music is magical. Ritchey Howe ‘17 (ritcheyhowe@college.harvard.edu) and Eloise Lynton ‘17 (eloiselynton@college.harvard.edu) are music festival experts. Photo courtesy of Ritchey Howe and Eloise Lynton.

4. Sleep (When you’re dead)

There’s a lot going on in Austin, and there isn’t much time for sleep. Our days began early and ended late. We were pretty much exhausted by the time we headed back. Unlike other concerts, the music here simply never stops so there is always the threat of FOMO. Therefore, we’d advise giving yourself some time to catch up on Zzz’s before you start doing that p-set or writing that paper.

5. Listen

We saved the best tip for last: the obvious point of going to SXSW is to listen to great music. We went in knowing a few bands we wanted to hear, and then wandered around discovering new ones along the way. A few highlights for us included J. Cole, AWOLNATION, Best Coast, Big Data, Genevieve, Casey Veggies, Fetty Wap, City of the Sun, Milky Chance, Passion Pitt, Elle King, and Small Pools. In all, SXSW was amazing, and we’d go again at the drop of a hat. We came back The Harvard Independent • 03.26.15

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I Like Earl’s Music, I Wrote a Review Thoughts on Earl Sweatshirt’s new album. By ANDREW ADLER

hus far, 2015 has been the year of rappers retreating. Drake retreated from exhaustion and a label dispute to Toronto on If You’re Reading This Its Too Late. Kendrick Lamar retreated to Compton with powerful lessons learned on To Pimp a Butterfly. And now Earl Sweatshirt, fed up with fake friends, unoriginal rappers stealing his flow, and a sketchy music industry amongst other bullshit, seeks catharsis in solitude on his impressive new album, I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside. Most of the world, myself included, was introduced to Earl as a precocious member of the Odd Future crew who demonstrated that the group wasn’t merely an interesting collective of goofballs, but a group of formidable rappers. When he disappeared for a year to a Samoan Boarding School, the group lost some of its steam, but Earl reemerged as a more focused rapper with more life experience. On the only single of the album, “Grief,” Earl fires on all cylinders, attacking everyone who made him hate shit and not go outside. On the hook, he raps, “I was making waves, you was surfing in ‘em.” For the second verse, he slows his flow down to a crawling pace that allows some of the best elements of his rapping to stand out more clearly. “Snakes sliding in the street / Mama taught me how to not be like the bodies lying in them/ Pigs, riding in ‘em / I’m 6 harvardindependent.com

a target so it’s hard to even eye me in ‘em.” At his pace, “in the street” sounds eerily like “industry.” I can’t imagine a more concise and brilliant attack on crooked police officers and shady music industry executives. Earl himself produces nearly the entire album, which results in a clear consistency in tone so often missing in disjointed rap albums featuring too many cooks in the kitchen. Most of the beats feature a repeating note spaced far apart with minimal production effects that mirror the recurring theme of isolation. Earl doesn’t take the cliché route of inviting more popular rappers for guest verses in order to boost the albums commercial success. Instead, Earl invites hungry up-andcomers into his home to spit crisp and powerful verses. Wiki smoothly switches up flows several times in his bravado filled guest verse in “AM // Radio.” Na’kel delivers an emotional homage to his deceased brother in “DNA.” “My bro left today, fuck.” Sometimes, “fuck” can say it all. Even Da$h, a member of the A$AP Mob and nephew of Dame Dash, puts his skills on display on “Grown Ups.” With the exception of “Grief,” “Wool” shines the most. Frequent collaborator Vince Staples opens the track, and the two barely waste a second over the excellent two and a half minute shit-talking outro. He and Vince are incredible foils.

Whenever the two collaborate, the duo doesn’t disappoint. Earl’s loaded wordplay and rhyme schemes mesh spectacularly with Vince’s unbridled street confidence. On March 23rd, the day the album launched, Earl tweeted, “PSA: I will not be held accountable for your lack of intellect, culture, flavor, and rhythm. Direct those complaints to whoever raised you.” This album certainly won’t win over the wave of new fans that will put Earl on the same level of commercial success as Drake and Kendrick. That’s fine with him. This album isn’t for the passive rap fan. Earl would also tell his twitter followers not to use Rap Genius (the popular annotation site), and that if you’re unsatisfied with the album’s 30-minute length, “to listen to it again.” If you miss out and don’t give this album the time of day, Earl is not accountable. Andrew Adler ‘17 (andrewadler@college. harvard.edu) likes this shit.

03.26.15 • The Harvard Independent

Pitch Perfect

The Radcliffe Pitches celebrate their 40th anniversary. By SHAQUILLA HARRIGAN

n 1975, Kathy Manning ‘78 and Diane Nabatoff ‘78 came together alongside a few members of the Krokodiloes to hold auditions for a musical group that would give female voices a space on Harvard’s campus. Forty years later, the Radcliffe Pitches are still belting out jazz classics and dazzling audiences from Harvard to China to Mexico to Bermuda. This Saturday at 8 PM in Sanders Theatre, Harvard’s oldest all female a cappella group invites everyone to celebrate their legacy at their “Fabulous 40” 40th anniversary concert. Pitches president Jenny Chang ‘16 says, “Preparing for the 40th Anniversary jam has been a lot of hard work, and I am really proud of how far we’ve come in these past few months.” Stage manager Katie Wu ‘17 adds, “Everyone’s really involved, and I am excited to help in the process.” On what it’s like to be a part of the Pitches’ 40th Anniversary, Wu says, “The most fun part has been talking with alumnae and collecting memories.” She recalls finding a photo of the 1981 Pitches singing to former Hasty Pudding Man of the Year Robert Redford. Emily Zoffer ‘17, another member of the Pitches, says “Something I thought was really cool was looking at an old arrangement from 1983 that had The Harvard Independent • 03.26.15

a note on the back to future Pitches.” For Chang, the history she discovered had a personal tie. “Kathy [one of the founders] recounts the exhilaration of performing in Sanders for the first time and that the very first song the Pitches ever sang in Sanders was ‘Lullaby of Broadway’, which also happens to be the very first song I sang in Sanders after joining the group in the fall of 2012.”

In addition to being one of the oldest a cappella groups on campus, the Pitches also distinguish themselves with their unique jazz sound. Chang says, “We specialize in jazz and American standards, which is a genre that is different from most other a cappella groups on campus.” Their repertoire includes artists like the Andrews Sisters, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra. Some of the jazz standards to look out

for during the anniversary jam are “You’d Be Surprised,” “Mr. Sandman,” and “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy.” Wu, who also joined her freshman year, saw that a cappella was a big deal on campus and wanted to join a group. She was drawn to how the “Pitches tied history and tradition” alongside jazz music. Thinking back to the founding of the Pitches, Wu says that the creation of an all female a cappella group was a “unique opportunity for women in 1975.” Chang adds, “To this day, we strive to create a community of supportive and strong women who share a common love for music.” Zoffer chose the Pitches because of their ‘block sound’ where the backup vocalists harmonize behind the soloist. “We really emphasize blending, vowels, cutoffs, and having a clean sound,” explains Zoffer. She also says, “So many girls are knowledgeable about jazz and can arrange it.” Other Pitches traditions include singing to the Hasty Pudding’s Man of the Year. This tradition takes root in the Pitches being founded out of the Hasty Pudding Society. “When we perform our song ‘You’d Be Surprised,’ we sing to one man in our audience. The soloist brings him up and dances with him. Photo courtesy of the Radcliffe Pitches. harvardindependent.com

Every year one Pitch has the honor of serenading the Man of the Year,” states Zoffer. This past February the Pitches had the opportunity to croon to Chris Pratt. Additionally, the Pitches are known for their annual spring break trip to Bermuda. Not only do the members get to bond on the beach, but they also have several concerts lined up during their trip. “One thing I totally love and that has become more special is connecting with people through music. A favorite moment is watching people’s faces as you sing a song and they recognize it even with a new arrangement,” says Wu of an audience the group performed for in Bermuda. The “Fabulous 40” jam is another opportunity for the Pitches to not only connect alumnae to current members, but to also share the legacy and memories with a larger audience. “I can’t emphasize how cool it is to be apart of 8 harvardindependent.com

group with so much special history,” says Wu of her role in helping to put on this concert. She is hoping that the founding members enjoy seeing how their work has come into fruition over the years. In preparing for the concert, Wu said that the Pitches are incorporating a skit between musical numbers. “As I am writing it, I have to be aware of our audience—alums, other student groups, etc.,” she says of deciding which Pitches references to include. There may or not be references to the film Pitch Perfect in the skit. Wu hopes that the skit will show the “living and breathing—singing, I guess—history of the Pitches.” While the love of singing is the reason why so many women join the Radcliffe Pitches, members, undergraduates and alumnae alike remain bonded to the singing group because of the community. The tradition of sisterhood and solidarity is one that is woven

through forty years of auditions, rehearsals, and jams. “We are friends in addition to being in the same group. We start every rehearsal with a new and a good. This allows each girl to support and check-in with each other,” says Zoffer of an unseen Pitch tradition. Though the concert this Saturday is meant to celebrate the forty fabulous years of the Radcliffe Pitches’ existence, it also is a celebration of a continuing legacy. Zoffer sums up the Pitches nicely with, “We’re more than pearls and dresses. We love and support each other; we’re goofy and fun. Most importantly, we love singing together.” Shaquilla Harrigan ‘16 (sharrigan01@college.harvard.edu) thinks the Radcliffe Pitches should have a cameo in Pitch Perfect 2. Photos courtesy of Lydia Burns and the Radcliffe Pitches.

03.26.15 • The Harvard Independent

Swimming A heat and a race. By MICHAEL LUO

fter every meet, he’d have a great bowl of stir-fry with a side of Oreos. He ate everything with a fork, finding it easier to stab his food rather than pick it up. The crunch of milk’s favorite cookie garnished with undercooked celery and soggy, steamed rice made for what a champion’s meal should be, had he won the race. Swimming became his sport after he was too short-legged for basketball, too flat-footed for football, and too selfrighteous for chess. During tryouts, he was placed in the piranha group, a title intended to instill fear in the dolphin group, which was actually much faster and much better looking than any piranha could aspire to be. To improve his chances at having a shot at qualifying for nationals, his mother had signed him up for extra private lessons after practice. At these lessons, Syrian-Olympian-freestyler turned Detroit-local-bartender, Fadi, trained him. On the team, he looked much more the part than he acted. With one dip into the water, his hair became stiff like pines, jutting out in fractals as if a porcupine had made its way home atop his oblong head. There was something to his skin, too— how it tingled and then formed gentle pink bumps after prolonged exposure to chlorine. Sometimes he’d forget his goggles on the granite kitchen counter that he almost always ran into because he was late for practice and this gave his eyes a bloodshot look worthy of a piranha. Fadi told him he needed to work on his dry land. Running, push-ups, crunches, sweating, tears, disappointment, then success. Fadi repeated this verbatim every practice, each syllable stuck within a thick desert accent. He couldn’t get past how Fadi was so fast, and how someone so hairy could become a bartender. Didn’t neck beards make you less aerodynamic? His motivation was to simply reach the end of the lane. Then he’d flip, turn in a barely legal manner so water wouldn’t The Harvard Independent • 03.26.15

run up his nose, and do it over again. There were no clever tricks, no moments worthy of replay. All he could do was launch himself from the diving platform too small for his size into the water too cold for his sensitive skin over and over, back and forth. Every moment before and after the race, he adored. The adrenaline rush felt like falling in love or getting laid, neither of which he had experienced. Once in the water, he kept his head down, letting the manmade currents meander through his hair and back as he propelled forward with confidence. His limbs had rotated in this motion countless times, reminding him of past injuries: pulled triceps still recovering from weekone of fraternity rush, a black eye the result of that night visiting his older brother at Michigan State, and tendinitis in two fingers overclocked on his six-string. At two hours a day and an hour and a half at night, swimming had become his life—not his sport. These thoughts never occurred to him during the race, since so much of his mind was focused on how he hated being submerged in water. All his eyes could peek at amongst the bubbles clouding his vision were how the straight lines of the ceramic pool bottom appeared to curve and wave as he glided past. He noted how the glimmer from the artificial stadium lights above danced underwater, mimicking a rhythm that egged him to push on until he too could burst out with arms held high and photoelectric flashes refracting on his body. With each entrance and exit of his arm at alternating rates into and out of the water, he sensed how the liquid wrapped itself around his naked exterior. Sometimes, he heard muffled sounds of someone yelling from the outside world. Maybe it was his name, but most likely it was just the water intruding his ears to clear out the wax and clog up the noise. The race was the part he hated. There was no way to see who was ahead and who was behind, especially given

that the goggles he borrowed from his brother were a size big enough for water to invade and inundate his senses. He raced with his eyes sealed shut from the chlorine, awaiting the moment his fingers poked at the walls one last time to trigger someone he’d never meet to click a stopwatch in hopeful unison for a number announcing his efforts to blip on the scoreboard. 2:24 on the dot. Not bad at all. A personal record, actually. But just so happens, on that day, there were three other personal records before his. He stretched his head out of the water with an optimism that instantly vanished. Mathematically, 2:24 was bigger than 2:20, 2:22, and 2:23:58, and in this Division III pool at this ESPN televised meet on this weekday that his parents had asked for off from the stevedores union, he had made a personal best worth nothing in comparison. An alarm sounded, so he crawled out of the water. As he placed his soaked palms on the cement edges to lift himself up, the soreness struck him in an immediate but unexpected way, the same way Layla’s laugh had confused him at first when he asked her out for fro-yo. His body stunned his mind with pain. Muscles ached in places he wasn’t aware had nerves. Pulling himself onto land, he glanced out of his periphery the tears for 2:20, the cheers for 2:22, and the silent shock for 2:23:58, who looked more surprised than he did. He kept his head low while a salty mixture of sweat and bleach dripped down from his chin. Now standing upright, he walked over to grab a towel. There were none left. Confused, he looked around and saw that the towels were being used to dry up the diving platforms for the next heat. Michael Luo ‘16 (michaelluo@college.harvard. edu) knows how to float. harvardindependent.com

Sports

March Sadness

Harvard Losses and Busted Brackets Ruin Any Chance of March Gladness. By PEYTON FINE

arch Madness for a sports junkie is the greatest escape on the planet. It is better than a week at the beach or a trip to Europe. It is filled with brackets and upsets that when going your way is like the perfect temperature to sun to cloud ratio on a sandy beach with crystal clear water. When not going your way, as shown by the updates on ESPN’s Bracket Challenge in the lower fifty percent of predictions, it’s like having delays on the way to some tropical location and then arriving to a bevy of storms. For my spring break, I settled into my couch to enjoy nonstop college basketball over my last four days in the hope of the elusive March Gladness that comes from successfully taming the basketball madness. That’s all I wanted for my spring break. I rebuffed opportunities to travel opting to stay at home and decompress from the midterms that loomed over me before break. Part of that relaxation was supposed to include basketball. Then, like the storm that ruins a beach vacation, upsets swirled into the tournament, but not the Crimson one that we were all hoping for. Let’s start with the tournament’s early upsets. Two fourteen seeds upset two three seeds. That’s ridiculous. Little names beat big names: UAB beat Iowa State and Georgia State beat Baylor. Iowa State and Baylor were two teams that I had going to the Elite Eight. Iowa State were the Big XII champions and Baylor had enough length to challenge even Kentucky. It was like a thunderstorm had hit the metaphorical beach that was my couch as I watched my bracket bust before my eyes. However, the storm did not end there. How many people picked a twelve seed to 10 harvardindependent.com

beat a five seed? Maybe even two or three? Raise your hands proud! You were statistically correct. Twelve seeds had upset five seeds in six of the last eight NCAA tournament games. Then, for only the third time in twenty-seven years, all the five seeds won. I had two twelve-five upsets go unrealized. A five-seed sweep brought another storm to my sports-induced paradise. However, all was not lost: Harvard still had a chance. Harvard took on the fourth-seeded North Carolina Tar Heels, and I was hopeful for one upset to fall my way to stop the flooding induced by my busted bracket. However, the game did not start well. The Crimson struggled to score or get stops. It was a problem that Harvard had faced all season against much weaker competition, and I prepared to float away. Wesley Saunders ‘15 played like a man on fire. Saunders, who for much of the season disappeared in the first half only to return heroically in the second half, pulled no such disappearing act. Saunders kept the Crimson within striking distance into the second half with aggressive drives to the basket and NBA-caliber pull-up jumpers from all areas of the court. In the second half, Harvard again fell behind quickly. After Harvard pulled the game within two at the end of the first half, North Carolina stretched the lead to fifteen after only five minutes into the second half. But then, the Siyani Chambers ‘16 reappeared. All season, Chambers struggled to find consistency. Some games, he could not get into the lane, others, he turned the ball over once in the lane, and even some, he could not throw the ball into a hoop the size of the ocean. That Chambers was shed for the clutch point guard

Harvard needed to compete in the NCAA Tournament. Chambers got into the lane almost atwill and started to force turnovers. With him running the machine, Harvard scored forty of their sixty-five points in the second half. The most dramatic of those forty points came off the hands of Chambers. With just over a minute left in the game, Harvard trailed by two with the ball in Chambers’ hands. Chambers shot up a three that dropped and then a foul was called. Chambers went to the free throw line, drained the free throw, and put the Crimson up by two. It looked like the sun was finally returning to my basketball oasis. It was just a tease. The Tar Heels scored the last four points and Wesley Saunders could not add to his record-setting twenty-six points as his last-second three clanged off the backboard. Maybe, I should have gone to a real beach, and I surely should end this season’s March Madness before my flood is enhanced by my own tears, but I will return on Thursday night waiting to see if Kentucky can finish a perfect season or if Notre Dame, led by a grieving coach who just lost his mother, can keep up the feelgood stories, or if UCLA’s Cinderella-run continues before the clock strikes midnight. Maybe, March Madness can turn to gladness for me after all.

Peyton Fine ’17 (peytonfine@college.harvard.edu) is still wringing out his clothes from a failed trip to his basketball oasis and hoping for a better end to March Madness.

03.26.15 • The Harvard Independent

Sports

indy

Skating to the End

Harvard Hockey plays in NCAA tournaments. By CAROLINE CRONIN

he men and women of Harvard hockey have had and continue to have an exciting season this year. The women’s team became the national runner up last Sunday. The Crimson were up against the Minnesota Gophers in the title game and fought hard all the way through. The thrillingly close game ended in a 4-1 score at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, MN. Harvard was seeded number 3 while Minnesota was the host and seed number 1. The exceptional season ends with the record 276-3. This is the most successful season Harvard has had in over five years. This year, The Harvard women’s team won a Beanpot championship, the Ivy League Title, and the ECAC regular season and tournament crowns! The team was composed of stellar athletes, including seven seniors. Hillary Crowe, Sarah Edney, Lydnsey Fry, Marissa Gedman, Michelle Picard, Josephine Pucci, and Samantha Reber have worked tirelessly as a unit during their years on the team to boast a 97-29-11 record. These girls showed their experience and compatibility on the ice last Sunday. Even so, it took a while for both teams to find their footing as the game against the Gophers began – five penalties were called during the first period alone. The tension and determination to triumph intimated by the physicality of the game continued through the other periods. The Gophers’ continuous onslaught paid off in the end, and they skated away with the national championship. The Crimson left it all on the ice and proudly end the 2014-2015 NCAA women’s hockey year. Just as the girls put away their skates for a while, the boys prepare to compete in their NCAA championship tournament, to be held beginning March 27th. The Crimson start against Nebraska Omaha at Notre Dame on Saturday the 28th. Harvard is currently seeded No. 10/8 while Omaha is placed at No. 9/9. However, the Crimson men’s team was chosen as the third seed in the Midwest region of the bracket. This will be the first time since 2006 that Harvard has returned to the post-season championship play after beating Colgate 4-2 in the ECAC Hockey conference championship game. The ECAC playoffs saw Harvard face Brown, Yale, Quinnipiac and, finally, Colgate. Harvard will come into this tournament confidently as they have gone 7-3-0 in its last 10 games. Omaha, on the other hand, has had a rough go of it with 2-5-3 (the worst of all the teams in the field). In the grand history of Harvard’s men’s hockey team, this is the 22nd time that the Crimson competed in the NCAA tourna-

The Harvard Independent • 03.26.15

ment. In the past, Harvard has made it to the Frozen Four 12 times and has one national title from 1989. The Omaha Mavericks have only faced Harvard men twice, and lost both times. Both matches took place in 1998 in Omaha where Harvard won 4-1 and then 4-3. This year the Mavericks finished their regular season third in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference. Harvard Hockey has had a year to remember! The women fought to the end to earn the national runner-up and the men will no doubt fight equally as hard as they enter the tournament next Saturday in South Bend, Indiana.

Caroline Cronin ’18 (ccronin01@college.harvard.edu) congratulates the women and wishes the men good luck!

Harvard Women’s Hockey NCAA Tournament Results NCAA Women’s Hockey Championship Quarterfinals on March 14 vs. Quinnipiac W, 5-0 NCAA Frozen Four Semifinals on March 20 vs. No. 2 Boston College W, 2-1 2015 National Championship on March 22 vs. No. 1 Minnesota L, 4-1 National Runner-Up Watch Harvard Men’s Hockey in the first round vs. Neb.-Omaha @ NCAA Midwest Regional Compton Family Ice Arena - South Bend, IN on March 28 @ 7:30pm

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CAPTURED AND SHOT by Caroline Silber in Cuba more photos at harvardindependent.com